


Breaking Free

by acollectionofgravebutbeautifulmistakes



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Detective Work, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, I live for gavin and eli being siblings, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, idk i guess ill add more later lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-04 17:05:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17902082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acollectionofgravebutbeautifulmistakes/pseuds/acollectionofgravebutbeautifulmistakes
Summary: Rk900 is not sure he wants to deviate. After all, isn't it his sole purpose not to?When Gavin Reed and his android partner are tasked with bringing down a ruthless serial killer, the most advanced android known to man is put to the real test: what is his real purpose now that he is not used to hunt deviants? And should he have a purpose at all?Meanwhile, Gavin is grappling with his brother's sudden resurgence in his life. Underneath the business facade, does Elijah still have the same love he once did for his brother? And does the creator of Cyberlife know more about this serial killer than he is letting on?





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!!
> 
> My name is Isabella, and I have a slight obsession with Detroit Become Human. But I'm guessing that since you're here, you do as well.
> 
> This is my first fic on ao3 so I guess I'll see how this goes. I'm also very busy so we'll see how often I update this. This ideal goal would be once a week, but seeing as it took me three to write the first chapter and brainstorm, my guess is that won't happen. 
> 
> This is planned to be a SLOW BURN so if you're not into that then... sorry? Honestly, it takes a lot to get me personally hooked on slow burns. Hopefully this will (eventually) be good enough to get you hooked as well.
> 
> Hope you enjoy chapter one!
> 
> **SIDENOTE: Yes, Gavin drinks. No, I don't. Sorry if it's not entirely accurate. I did google searches but eh. Y'know.**

December 10, 2038  
11:36 PM  
Unit: Stable

RK900 unit booting online…  
Connection established.

Incoming transmission:

Sender: Captain Fowler  
Recipient: RK900 

>There’s been a reported homicide downtown. Attached is the address. Use the GPS locator or whatever you need to find the whereabouts of your partner and get to work on this case.

Current mission: Investigate homicide  
Current submission: Locate Detective Reed

Awaking from stasis, the RK900 unit found himself tasked with a seemingly urgent mission from Captain Fowler. After closing several windows popping up in his vision regarding his successful recharge from stasis, he viewed the address attached. It seemed to be in the slums, far outside the city.

RK900 then proceeded to track the location of his partner, Gavin Reed. The man was undoubtedly busy at such a time on a Friday evening, and RK900 would have guessed that he had plans tonight even if Detective Reed hadn’t aggressively stated so after the android attempted to make light conversation at work that afternoon. Due to the high- end technology at the android’s immediate disposal, he located his partner within 2.7 seconds. A local bar which it seemed the Detective frequented on a biweekly basis. 

RK900 tapped into their security footage, finding a video of Gavin and their co-worker as well as his best friend, Tina Chen, at the bar just two days prior. Now, sitting alone, it seemed Detective Reed had already consumed two devil’s poison drinks and was downing shots of liquor every estimated twenty minutes. 

It seemed as if the officer was exceptionally intoxicated, often exploding into fits of laughter which ended in the bartender and a few denizens of the bar gaping incredulously in his direction. Gavins’ cheeks were flushed a brilliant scarlet color, and his eyes were unfocused on anything in particular, instead preferring to flick from his drink to any other random patron. 

The android downloaded the bar’s address from its website, shirking on his Cyberlife-issued white and black jacket and made his way out of his apartment to find Detective Reed.

* * * *  
RK900 wasn’t programed to dislike rain. In fact, he wasn’t programmed to dislike anything. Liking and favoring certain conditions and aspects to life were inherently human, and Cyberlife ensured the DPD that the newest model of the Connor series had no human qualities. Hence, there was no chance for this android to deviate. 

Then the revolution ended, and deviants were left to their own devices. Androids were “free,” although legislation was yet to be put in place that said so. Connor returned to the police force, a respectable detective still paired with Lieutenant Anderson. And the Detroit Police Department was left with a cold, calculated machine in the form of RK900.

Connor informed his coworkers, his newer model included, that deviating would take time. No one would force the android to feel human emotions, they would simply need to wait until a situation arose where he could break free from the coding holding him back. 

RK900 wasn’t sure that’s what he wanted. But then again, he wasn’t sure he wanted anything. 

So no, it wasn’t that he disliked rain. He simply found it inconvenient. 

The android gazed upwards at the sign above his head. The Rusty Flask Brewhouse. It was flickering and illuminated in a slew of reds and blues. Upon scanning the sign, it seemed it was open 24/7 on Fridays, which was convenient. The clatter of cups and laughter of drunks was barely audible over the Detroit traffic bustling behind him.

Feeling the rain soaking and wind whipping his jacket, RK900 stepped inside. Upon entering, the smell of alcohol permeated the air, mixing with the scent of perfumes and colognes and cigarettes. He noticed a door next to the bathrooms which led to a smoking area outside, and a few people he scanned in the area were recognized as some of Gavin’s drinking companions. However, upon further scanning and facial recognition, RK900 could not spot Gavin. He walked further into the bar, past the bathrooms and entryway, and found the Detective. 

Submission: Locate Detective Reed.  
Status: Complete

Current Submission: Approach Detective Reed.

Detective Reed sat at the bar, adorned in the same clothes he’d gone to work in. His leather jacket sat askew on his shoulders, burgundy shirt ruffled and stained with booze. The man’s hair was equally disheveled. Upon scanning him, the android discovered he was bordering on completely drunk. Gavin’s hand was outstretched towards the annoyed bartender, holding a glass and shaking it at him. 

“Hey asshole!” Reed’s speech was slurred slightly, teetering on wasted. “Can you refill me already? ‘s midnight ‘n I’m still sober.” 

The bartender rolled his eyes. “You’ve already had enough, asshole. Besides, Reed, how long has it been since you actually paid for the drinks you buy? Some cop you are.”

Gavin wasn’t satisfied with this response, apparently, instead deciding to slam the glass down on the table. In the blink of an eye, he was leaning over the bar haphazardly, his hands fisted in the bartender’s jacket. RK900 saw warning signs in his vision. 

Current submission: Approach Detective Reed.  
Status: Complete

Current submission: Intervene and stop Detective Reed.

“I said: more booze.” Gavin’s words were nearly inaudible through gritted teeth.

“And I said-” The bartender didn’t get a chance to decline again. RK900 grasped the back of Gavin’s jacket, pulling the stumbling man backwards. Thanks to the android’s perfect balancing skills and swift reactions, he prevented his partner from falling backwards.

Current submission: Intervene and stop Detective Reed.  
Status: Complete

Current submission: Escort Detective Reed to the crime scene. 

“Detective Reed,” RK900 stepped backwards as Gavin wrenched himself away from the android’s grip. “There has been a homicide. Fowler assigned the case to us.” 

Gavin’s face morphed from confusion to anger in a matter of seconds. With his brows furrowed together and lip curled in disgust, he scoffed at his partner. “Are you kidding me right now?” RK900 noted that his speech was slurred slightly. “A case? On a Friday? At midnight?”

Confusion passed over the android’s face. “Well, yes, Detective. We are police after all. We could be needed at any moment of any day.” And, with the smallest of smirks, “Murderers don’t take weekends off, you know.”

A blush covered Gavin’s face, likely due to intoxication and embarrassment, RK900 guessed. He thought he could hear him grumble that of course he knew that as he grabbed his jacket and stumbled away from the bar and towards the exit. The android began following his partner, turning away before a voice cut through his thoughts. 

“Hey, asshole! Are you or your buddy going to pay for those drinks?”

RK900 threw cash at the red-faced bartender before heading out after Gavin.

* * * *

Gavin stumbled towards the self driving cab RK900 had called for as they left the bar. He moved sluggishly, tripping over cracks in the sidewalk and grumbling profanities when his partner caught him each time. Eventually, he shook the android off, claiming he could “walk on his own” and “didn’t need to be treated like a child.”

It concerned the android slightly to see his partner in such a state. Was he planning to return home this intoxicated alone if RK900 hadn’t shown up? What if he’d fallen and cracked his skull? Or stumbled into the road and had been hit by a car? That would prove most ineffective to their partnership.

 

S̴̹̾y̴͖̏s̶͓ṭ̵̽e̸̝̕m̷̞̂ ̷̞͆ĕ̸͜r̵͎̽r̷̢̾o̸̳͠ṙ̷͔.̶̢̕ ̶̡͒R̴̯͒e̸͎̚ṭ̶̓u̸͇͌r̴̟͝n̵̢̊ ̵͕̏t̶͍o̴͕̐ ̴̛̰C̷̫͛y̴͎̓b̶̨̑ẹ̷͌r̵̞̎l̶̰͠i̴̕ͅf̶̢̑e̸͇̓ ̴̭̏o̶̫̐ŗ̶̀ ̸̝̊ĕ̶̩n̷̳̊t̷̲̓e̵͎͒ṟ̸̍ ̴̌͜s̶̻̉t̵̰ã̵̖s̵̼͋ǐ̴̪s̴̮͂ ̸͇̍i̷͕͐m̶̼̌m̶̗̋ḝ̴d̴͙̂ì̴̧a̴̫͋t̶̳e̶͓̎l̷̽ͅy̸̪̑.̴̾͜  
̵̖̆  
̶̗̕F̶͕͂o̵̬͝ṛ̵̎c̸̭̃e̷͇͐ ̴̨͂s̷̪̋ỷ̷͚s̸̏͜t̸̩̑e̶̦̓m̷̥̓ ̴̮̄s̸͚̈ḧ̴̳u̸͙̔t̵̯̔d̵͔͛o̷̦͘w̶̞̏n̴͕͛?̸̻͝  
̸͔͊  
̶͙͆>̶̬Ỹ̷͉E̴͙̎S̵̛̘  
̵̲̇≯̙͑N̸̛̗O̵̻͒

 

Their mission, he meant. It would be ineffective to the mission.

Clicking out of the pop-up, RK900 helped Gavin into the car and inputted the address Fowler supplied him with, preparing himself for the trip.


	2. Familiar Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and RK900 investigate the crime scene and make a shocking discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! This chapter is slightly longer than the last. I'm trying to pace myself because I'm just so excited about the story! I've done like three different drafts of the story and I think I have the final version ready so hopefully it turns out the way I want it to.
> 
> A few VERY IMPORTANT DETAILS:
> 
> *Cole's death in this universe is a little different than canonically.   
> *This follows the "everyone lives and Connor goes Deviant" ending, obviously. The revolution was successful.  
> *RK900 (who we will later refer to as Nines) is still created in this universe, as a last ditch effort by Cyberlife. He's unable to complete his mission by the time he's completed, however, so he's temporarily deactivated. We will see what he does when the DPD reactivates him later on in a flashback...
> 
> There are some other important details but we will discuss those later on as they're spoilers to the story.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading (and the positive feedback on my last chapter) and please enjoy!
> 
> -Isabella 
> 
> PS: DISCLAIMER: Despite watching numerous crime documentaries and episodes of Gotham, I know literally nothing about crime scene investigation. Forgive me.

 

Gavin had sworn to himself that he would never ride in a self-driving car. As technologically advanced and high-end as they appeared to be, his gut had told him that they were unreliable. With no human to operate it, how was it supposed to stop in time? It wasn’t like it had human instincts and reactions, and a simple flaw in its system was all that was necessary for the automobile to malfunction and send Gavin flying in a ditch somewhere. 

 

He remembered a confrontation he’d had once with Lieutenant Anderson, before the man had followed Connor around everywhere like a puppy dog, slobbering on his perfectly shined, Cyberlife issued loafers. Once, whilst in a blind rage, Gavin had swept the contents of Hank’s desk onto the floor before landing a fist to his nose. A crash had stirred Gavin from his attack, directing his attention towards a shattered picture frame on the ground. He picked it up. It was a picture of a young boy, around six, who bore a striking resemblance to Hank. Silence fell over the bullpen, and the Lieutenant snatched it and stormed off, enraged. Fowler had, grudgingly, informed Detective Reed that Hank’s son had been killed in an accident. They’d been riding in a self-driving car.

 

He never saw that picture frame again. 

 

Still, the incident reminded Gavin why he refused to ride in such a vehicle. Yet, here he was, seated in one anyways. With his own android partner, nevertheless. 

 

Despite his vision being slightly blurred, Gavin could spot those deadly grey-blue eyes in any crowd. Despite his face looking so similar to his predecessor’s, eye color made all the difference in the world. It reflected a key difference between RK900 and Connor: Connor was meant to blend in with humans. RK900 was meant to become a killing machine. Although, where Connor had failed, his successor had never gotten the chance to even begin his mission properly. 

 

Remembering the day that Gavin had first been introduced to his partner, it was almost odd to see him caring for a drunken Gavin like this. Despite not officially deviating yet, he’d been displaying more human attributes, such as smirks following witty remarks and the concerned look he was currently giving the Detective. Gavin guessed that RK900 didn’t notice his partner could see him worrying at his lower lip in the human’s peripheral vision. 

 

Gavin grumbled and turned further towards the window on his right. “Would you stop that? It’s annoying.” 

 

Yellow. Canary yellow, filling the car in a dull, blinking light. Confusion passed over the android’s features, his brows furrowing. Then, the LED slowly turned back to blue. “What do you mean, Detective?”

 

“I mean,” Gavin turned to face his partner. “Stop staring at me. And don’t think I’m stupid or something, I know you and Connor can scan humans and shit. He told me about it.” 

 

Silence. The android seemed almost ashamed, yet it was hard to tell, since he almost always had the same stoic look plastered on his features. There was a small blip of yellow. He opened his mouth once, closed it, then opened it again to say, “Detective Reed, I apologize. I was only trying to read your blood alcohol level-”

 

“Bullshit.” Gavin huffed. “You could do that without staring at me this damned entire hour-long car ride to some shitty crime scene.”

 

Another pause. “I suppose you are correct.”

 

Strange. Typically, his partner would give more of a fight before relenting. Still, it got the android to look away, which was what Gavin wanted. “Don’t psychoanalyze me. I don’t need a therapist.” Despite the venom and certainty in the Detective’s tone, he knew, deep down, that RK900 had undoubtedly done enough research on him in the past to debunk such a statement.

 

Before he could further overanalyze his partner or his past, RK900 informed him that they’d reached their destination. Gavin grabbed his coat, shirking it back on before stumbling out of the car. He was lucky that his body’s tolerance for alcohol was unmatched by nearly anyone he knew, otherwise he’d be even more of a mess than he was currently. 

 

Though the Michigan cold should be something Gavin was used to at this point, he had a tendency to be much colder than anyone else he knew. He was born and raised in Florida after all, and it wasn’t like there was much snow at all in Tampa. Plus, it had been raining and snowing and sleeting off and on quite frequently as of late, and global warming wasn’t doing Gavin any favors in terms of temperature. 

 

Wrapping his jacket tighter around his torso, Detective Reed followed his partner to the house. It was a small, humble one story ranch home made of slightly withering white siding. The unmowed front lawn was relatively bare, save for the policemen and canines sweeping the premises. There was a regular car parked in the driveway: a grey Honda Civic, which was peculiar, considering most civilians owned self-driving cars.

 

Trekking through the wet and muddy front lawn, Gavin followed behind his android companion. It was odd that RK900 was this quiet; typically he’d be droning on about the case at hand, supplying Gavin with every innocuous detail they were given. Instead, he silently stalked up towards the house, his back rigid and led occasionally blinking yellow. 

 

The front door was sectioned off with yellow police caution tape. Chris Miller and Gavin’s good friend Tina Chen stood alongside each other, just in front of the steps leading to the house. 

 

Gavin had known Tina since they were training to become police officers together in the academy. Both seemed to be outsiders, and Tina once struck up a conversation with him about how horrific the mess hall food was. He fondly remembered the time she beat the daylights out of a fellow trainee who harassed Gavin for his sexuality. Ever since then, the pair was inseparable. 

 

“Hey, Tina.” Gavin flashed a shit-eating grin in her direction. “What’s up?”

 

Tina rolled her eyes playfully but couldn’t suppress the small curl of her lips at the sight of her friend. “You know. Murder, investigation, the works.” Then, as he stepped closer, her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Gav, how much did you drink?”

 

He laughed. “Too much.”

 

Chris cleared his throat awkwardly, filling the silence. “Neighbors called in when they heard screaming, but when we got here, I realized I’d never seen anything like it. This one’s weird, I have to say.” Gavin noted his side-eye glance in his android partner’s direction. Odd. Chris, strangely enough, was one of the few who wasn’t off-put by the android’s seemingly murderous appearance. Why did he seem so uncomfortable now? 

 

Another blip of yellow. “I assure you,” RK900 spoke in a cool tone of voice, “that we are fully equipped to handle ‘weird.’” 

 

The duo followed Chris into the house, Tina close behind them. The entrance to the home was rather plain, with a welcome mat and coat rack by the door. Framed pictures of a young couple hung on the wall, and small decorations cluttered a bookshelf leading into the living area. In front of the couch was a glass coffee table which was tipped on its side and marked with an evidence marker. All the lights were off, and shadow spilled over the room. The only lights came from flashing cameras as forensics experts photographed small pools of blood on the carpet near the table, the stairs, and the kitchen.

 

“The victims were watching television when they were attacked,” Chris said, eyeing the muted television, which lit the room in a dim, blue light. 

 

Gavin was about to open his mouth when RK900 spoke. “Was there any sign of forced entry?” 

 

Chris shook his head. “We think the perpetrator approached the door, almost like a salesperson.” He paused, then eyed the android expectantly. “Did you do your…?”

 

RK900 nodded. “I already ran preconstructions on the area. It seemed that an android rang the doorbell, and the wife answered. She was then attacked, which explains the bloodstains by the door.” Gavin eyed the entryway, spotting the bloodstains by the stairs which an examiner was photographing. 

 

His android partner turned to the living room again. “There was a bit of a confrontation between the android and the husband. It resulted in the coffee table being knocked over.” Then, his LED flashed yellow and blinked to red, then back to yellow again. “Strange.”

 

“What’s strange, tin can?” Gavin huffed, crossing his arms. 

 

RK900’s brows furrowed. “Typically, with reconstructions like this, I can tell who the perpetrator was, despite it being an android or a human.” His LED turned crimson yet again before blinking to yellow. “Not this time.”

 

Gavin scoffed. “Well maybe you’re outdated. If so, I’m complaining to Fowler that my toaster oven broke-”

 

The Detective swore his android partner’s eyes turned the same shade of his vermillion LED in that moment. It was almost animalistic, the way he stared at Gavin with his back as straight as a rod and fists clenching at his sides, itching for a fight. “I can assure you, Gavin, that I am suited for this job.”

 

Odd. RK900 rarely ever called Gavin by his first name, only ever Detective Reed. The comment his human companion made must have been a humiliating insult. Chris coughed awkwardly before flickering his eyes between the duo. “Coroner’s office already took the bodies away, but there’s another you should see. It’s in the kitchen.” 

 

Detective Reed glanced at Tina, who looked at him worriedly. If it was enough to concern Tina, it must be strange. The two had seen horrific things together back in the days when they were partnered together, before the incident. Enough bodies to make Ted Bundy shiver, and most weren’t even completely intact. The two of them followed closely behind Chris and RK900, whose LED had returned to its default blue. 

 

Luckily enough for Gavin, his most detested duo of police were already standing in the kitchen when they arrived. Connor waved nervously to RK900 in greeting before glancing at Gavin quickly and looking away. It wasn’t like Gavin would have replied even if Connor had greeted him. Hank, from his close spot next to Connor, gruffly nodded his head in greeting at the duo before glaring at Gavin. “You lucky sack of shit. You’re drunk, aren’t you, Reed?”

 

Gavin flashed his most wicked grin in the lieutenant’s direction before flipping him off. “Not drunk enough to deal with this shit.”

 

The body in question was laid on the kitchen table haphazardly in a body bag. Beside it was a broken chair and blue blood still soaked the tile floor. Numbered markers were littered throughout the kitchen: near the broken furniture, on the table, and by a large kitchen knife on the floor by Hank’s feet. It was coated in cerulean and crimson, meaning it had been used against both a human and an android.

 

“Connor ran some preconstructions in here already,” Hank informed RK900 and Gavin. “Seems like the human outsmarted the android and got his knife somehow. After stabbing him, the android attacked him using a chair. Blunt force trauma. Both the murderer and the victim died.” 

 

Connor glanced sideways at RK900. “You couldn’t see what android it was either, I’m guessing?”

 

Both of their LEDs flashed yellow simultaneously. “No, I was unable to. Strange. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.” Gavin couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic to the android’s tone of voice. RK900 knew he was the most advanced android known to man at the moment, so it must be frustrating to know that he can’t properly complete his job and purpose. It reminded Detective Reed of their first encounter. Gavin knew how it felt to suffer the thought of being inferior. 

 

Connor and Hank glanced at each other, and while RK900’s LED changed back to blue, Connor’s remained yellow. “We know why that’s the case, then.” Connor’s voice quivered a bit as he spoke. It was hard to believe, nowadays after his deviancy, that this was the same fearsome deviant hunter they knew from the revolution.

 

Gavin glanced at Tina, confused, and noticed his best friend as well as Chris, Connor and Hank wore similar grim expressions. He almost thought that, out of the corner of his eye, he could spot RK900 examining him anxiously. 

 

Connor reached to unzip the body bag. 

 

The first thing Gavin noted was that the android’s jaw was ripped clean off, exposing a mess of black wires below that curled around each other almost like mechanical spaghetti. His face, instead of being one, uninterrupted expanse of “skin”, was made of separate plates, as if the creators at Cyberlife assembled him like a jigsaw puzzle. Stab wounds ruined a pristine charcoal gray suit coated in blue blood. The eyes that stared back at Gavin were soulless, even more lifeless than RK900’s blue-gray ones. They were as bright as the sun, made of burnt oranges and yellows. The LED on the left side of his temple was off, and brown hair curled on his forehead, still wet from the rain. His facial features were familiar, yet vastly different than anything Gavin had ever seen before. At first glance, he almost did a double take to make sure Connor and RK900 were still beside him and not the ones lying dead before him.

 

The android on the table was Connor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUN. 
> 
> Yes, this seems confusing and yes, I have a plan.
> 
> Also with this being my first fic on here I'm working out how to use the site?? So I didn't realize rich text was a thing so there's a bunch of things in chapter one that should've been bolded or italicized that weren't so maybe one day I'll fix that.
> 
> Hopefully writer's block won't kill me and I'll have another chapter up soon. See you then and thank you for reading!
> 
> Please leave kudos and constructive comments below! :)
> 
> -Isabella

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave constructive criticism and thoughts in the comments below. Again, it's my first fic so go easy on me ;) See you all in the next chapter!
> 
> -Isabella :)


End file.
